Health Care Provider and Health Diversity - Essay Example

Health Care Provider and Health Diversity Introduction The health care profession is a dynamic field tShat brings people into contact with various faiths despite these beliefs forming part of the patients and health care provider’s worldview. In this case, the health care giving situation exposes nurses and patients to a situation where they have to tolerate each other’s beliefs and as such influences the health care giving process (Cobb, Puchalski & Rumbold, 2012). For Christians, everything that exists and happens is believed to be showing the presence of God and thus their personal world view is that the logic laws from God are actually universal and unchangeable (Shelly & Miller, 2006). On the contrary, Buddhism has a different world view since the faith has a straightforward looking at the human condition where nothing is ever based on wishful thinking (Murti, 2013). The origin of the Buddhism religion was based on the observation of how things are in the world and everything that the faith teaches is based on these observations, including the concept of healing. Therefore, it is imperative to discuss how the two faiths, Christianity, and Buddhism, perceive the concept of healing and how their worldviews may affect the process of providing healthcare. From the Christian Worldview One of the vital questions to address when tackling issues to do with religion is the concept of spirituality. Christianity has a strong attachment to spirituality and, in this case, it refers to the extent to which human beings are connected to God as the supernatural being (Shelly & Miller, 2006). Thus, Christians hold their world view from the story of creation and fall where God, in spiritual presence, created everything and everything that happens is according to his will. Therefore, for a Christian seeking medical attention, he or she believes that the medics and healthcare providers are serving the purpose of God by preserving the life that God gives for free. In this case, the Christians believe that God uses the healthcare givers to protect the lives of human beings. On the other hand, the Christians believe that spirituality is living up to God’s expectations by following the footsteps of Jesus Christ (Woodhead, 2012). When handling a patient from Christian faith, therefore, the healthcare provider must understand that the religion has strong attachment to spirituality and doing things according to God’s will and that anything contrary to the Christian morals may invite God’s wrath as evident from the story of ‘the fall’ during the beginning of creation (Shelly & Miller, 2006). Thus, for Christians, being spirituality mature means that one does and say things that please God implying that even the health care provision must be provided with God’s respect in mind. From the story of creation, Christians believe that how humans gain knowledge and understanding are powers given to them by God. The implication is that learning takes course through guidance and vision from the supernatural being because the Bible indicates that God gave the human being the ability to reason over other beings. In this case, the medical knowledge originates from God and as such Christians accept medical help because it is God working through the professionals to heal and conserve the human life. The concept of religious pluralism does not hold much with Christianity because it suggests that there is no religion that is superior to others. Christians believe in the superiority of the religion and that any teaching that goes against the faith is false. However, the belief in this superiority stems from the fact that the Christian God has been revealing his presence in saving other faiths. In this case, the faith holds that Gods work and presence are universal and that the supernatural being sets the moral codes to govern the behavior of human beings (Woodhead, 2012). In this regard, what is so important for a Christian seeking healthcare service is that matters concerning his or her faith must be treated with much respect as they are superior to everything else (Shelly & Miller, 2006). According to Christianity, a prime reality is the personal God portrayed in the Holy Bible (Shelly & Miller, 2006). The Christians describe God as being untouchable, good, sovereign, and omnipresent. In this case, God can be felt everywhere and answers to peoples problems through prayers. Therefore, the Christians have a strong attachment to prayer as they believe that healing comes by first seeking help from God as recorded in Psalms 118:5-6 (Woodhead, 2012). Thus, Christians believe that their prayers of healing are answered through the health care givers who extend Gods power of healing by possessing the knowledge and understanding of how to treat and care for people. From the Christianity perspective, a human being is the Gods creation in his own kindness given the authority to control other creatures (Shelly & Miller, 2006). In this case, a human being is an accurate representation of God and that life began with the two first people, Adam, and Eve. On the other hand, death is a promotion to glory for the righteous ones, and sinners end up in the Satans side or the hell. Besides, Christians believe that everything happens for a purpose, and even death has a reason (Strait, 2012). Therefore, for a Christian seeking medical, he or she deserves to be treated with much-needed respect and everything that goes against such value is never acceptable even if it leads to healing from a health condition and this explains why some sections of the Christians are still objecting vaccination (Shelly & Miller, 2006). The Buddhism perspective The origin of Buddhism sometimes brings into question whether it is a religion or a way of life. The implication is that the Buddhists do not like the notion of believing in a God but rather is established on the basis of teachings as well as practices (Keown, 2013). As such, an individual is tested on these values until he or she is recognized to be showing reality or the ways things are in the world (Murti, 2013). Thus, Buddhism can be described as a system of moral and mental training with a strong emphasis on training. However, it can also be viewed from a religious perspective where three elements of generosity, morality, and mental training are the constructs that define individuals. Therefore, according to Buddhists worldview, a person is examined on the extent to which he or she shows unselfishness, compassionate behavior and also upholding morality by engaging in responsible behavior to avoid suffering (Keown, 2013). Besides, the mental training cultivates a disciplined reflection through meditation. The three elements help individuals to see the world and things around them more clearly leading to deeper awareness, and this are crucial to living happy and being fulfilled with life. Unlike Christianity, prime reality according to Buddhism is self-awareness of how things are on earth and the religion does not believe in the existence of God (Murti, 2013). In this regard, the faith holds that there is no spiritual material that exists in the form of a supernatural being like the Christian God (Strait, 2012). Therefore, the religion holds that the world has no origin because what people see is a factor of existence. The implication is that the world exists due to causal actions and that these causal actions govern and bind human beings. The Buddhists, however, believe that life does not end with death and that individuals are reborn in other forms (Keown, 2013). According to the religion, a human being is a physical object whose features are re-expressed after death in the form of incarnation. The common aspects of healing, prayer, and meditation From the analysis of the two religions, it is clear that prayer and meditation are given much attention (Cobb, Puchalski & Rumbold, 2012). According to Christianity, prayer connects people with the supernatural being, God, and theyhave strong attachment to healing through prayers. However, since knowledge and understanding come from God, seeking medication attention is not prohibited as God is believed to work through the medical professionals to heal people (Strait, 2012). Buddhists, on the other hand, are not objecting seeking medical help but believe that the power of healing comes from meditation where individuals connect through self and understanding the cause of events like suffering. One common aspect of the religions is that it is good to continue living, but this should not be done under any circumstance possible. Christians believe that the health care providers are God-sent to save and preserve lives, but this should not go against the morals of the faith. For instance, using life support machines cannot be acceptable since it is seen as an objection to Gods will since death is perceived to serve a purpose, and only God can give and take away life. On the other hand, Buddhists believe in continued living but oppose the practices that may be contrary to morals set forth by the religion. Therefore, according to the Buddhists, preserving life at all costs including the use of life support system is prohibited because the faith believe in allowing death to take place through natural means. Conclusion In a nutshell, Christianity puts a strong attachment to the existence of a supernatural being that explains their concept of prime reality. In this case, a patient from the faith expects that the manner in which the health care service is provided respects God and the morals that govern the religion. On the contrary, Buddhism does not believe in the existence of a supernatural being and believe that causes of actions define life. However, the faith has a strong attachment to mental practice especially meditation and also sets morals that govern people’s behaviors. Therefore, the Buddhists believe in the preservation of life through medication but do not accept any practices going contrary to the belief. Common to both faiths is there is the necessity to preserve life but it should not go against the set moral codes since events like death should take place naturally. From the analysis of the two faiths, one common perspective about spiritual healing is that it comes from the strong attachment to the faith. If an individual believes in the power of prayers, then such perception should be respected in the health care. Spiritual healing also comes from an individual’s power of meditation and such should also be recognized in the health care sector. Briefly, the research can make tremendous contribution to the healthcare sector by teaching the importance of respecting peoples faith especially the beliefs that prohibit certain medical practices like putting patients on life support machines and also the issue of vaccination. References Cobb, M., Puchalski, C. M., & Rumbold, B. (Eds.). (2012). Oxford textbook of spirituality in healthcare. Oxford University Press. Keown, D. (2013). Buddhism: A very short introduction (Vol. 3). Oxford University Press. Murti, T. R. V. (2013). The central philosophy of Buddhism: A study of the Madhyamika system. Routledge. Shelly, J. A, Miller, A. B. (2006). Called to Care: A Christian Worldview for Nursing. Intervasity Press. Strait, D. (2012). Chesterton, the Bible and the Story of Redemption. The Chesterton Review, 38(1/2), 55-70. Woodhead, L. (2012). Spirituality and Christianity: the unfolding of a tangled relationship. In Religion, Spirituality and Everyday Practice (pp. 3-21). Springer Netherlands. Read More